Plays Well With Others

Oh crap, has it been that long already?

2009-03-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine once said that once you hit 18, the years fly by. Until you get married and have children, then it seems like days never want to end. I was just reading through my older posts, the last one dated for the end of January.

Holy shit.

I have not been dilligent in my pursuit of INTERNET FAME/NOTORIETY. I suppose having a Twitter account convinced me that those micro-updates were all the blogging I need. Well, 140-character posts aren't really my thing. I do enjoy Twitter, very much. I like being able to tell the Internet from my phone that I am currently pooping because I don't really like to bring my laptop with me to the can, but as an actual substitute to blogging, Twitter doesn't compare. It's less like "Micro-blogging" (is what they call it) and more "Facebook Updates..for your phone!" Still fun, though.

Anyway, as quick progress check: I have, since January 26, posted seven comics on my site, and am kicking around t-shirt ideas in my sketchbook that I will post for an audience-participation bit. Sweet. Depressingly, though, my brother's computer has been terminally borked and now he is depending on my comics machine to finish term papers and shit. This upsets me. I know he paid 18,000 some-odd bones for his education, but dammit, I have a readership to build. It's not going to happen if I'm not able to post consistently and reliably. On the other hand, I've had an offer for an illustration job that I need to jump on, a personal project I'd like finish within the next few months or so, and still more site tweaks to make, so the comics appear more nicely. I made the kind-of-grave mistake of allotting a space for the comics before I ever decided on the format, so with every update, after changing the dpi from 300 to a web-friendly 72, I have to compress it further in the HTML so it will fit in the table that was regrettably made before the comic ever was, making lines appear and disappear. Not the best of design decisions ever made. Certainly not the worst, either (ie: Apple's choice of laptop case material and iPhone's "unscratchable" surface)
So I signed up for a YouTube account, so that I can upload the videos made with my sexy, sexy new camera. I may post them here, effectively transforming this place into a "vlog", a word I care less for than "blog". Oh well.
Until next time.

OH YEAH

2009-01-29T00:18:00.000-08:00

I forgot, my new comic and site are up!
I wish the URL was playswell-online.com, but it's not. Only for now. Once I save a little money I will host it with someone else.
http://studentpages.scad.edu/~dkelly22

Death Note's Ending SPOILER ALERT

2009-01-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

Am I alone in wanting Light to succeed? In wanting him to succeed, what does that say about me?

I bought volume 12 of the Death Note series today. I had already read it, thanks to scans available online, but this series is of a caliber worth buying. It was no less gripping and disturbing now than it was when I read the end a year ago.

In Light's mission for mankind, the question the series grapples with is simple: Is murder in the name of purging humanity of its less moral members just? Light sees himself as the god of his new world, as the ultimate punisher of the wicked. He sets out on a mission that to him, and hopefully other people, seems just. But in his exploits, the number of criminals he murders catches the eye of the police and eventually the world's most accomplished detective, L. He draws the ire of those job it is to protect people, not simply innocents, the people who are told are safe from Light's judgment.

Posit this for a second: We have, in our society, a belief structure to which some adhere and others don't. This belief structure involves retribution from a higher power, a god, in response to wicked and questionable deeds. To the people who do not live explicitly to His gospel, it seems as though "bad" goes relatively unpunished by their god. What a game-changer it would be if there suddenly was someone who made criminals morally accountable? They say that God works in mysterious, capricious ways, but it's made clear by their dogma: The wicked will be punished. Kira, the title imposed on the one doing the mass killings (Light) is, in the series, a very real punisher, one whose existence couldn't be denied, unlike our God by some. With the threat of actual punishment looming over humanity, one had no choice but to conform, to act as Kira wished, which was to be kind to one another. It was all he wished, for the world to become a better place for everyone.

Death Note offered a reality that would exist if our God was real; if we actually undeniably knew that punishment existed for our wrongdoing. If people knew that their lives were definitely held accountable for their sins, that they would toe the line, as the world did in the story.

Of course, the reality of it was that Light Yagami was human, and in his noble mission was subject to the frailty of his state. He lied, he manipulated, he cheated death and everyone close to him, all in the name of his mission, and at the very end went insane, having lost all sense of humanity. It was interesting to see his downward spiral; from an outstanding student to the man who was obsessed with eliminating anyone who stood in his way.

Why did he fail? Was it his own arrogance? Was it because he lost sight of what was important, to build his new world? Or was it simply because he was human?

I really, really wanted to see Light succeed. And for that I am very deeply disturbed by how I think. To see him at the end, it was chilling to see how someone who had such strong, righteous ideals could be turned into a monster.

Oops..

2009-01-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

I mistyped that link. Here is a proper link:
Anders Loves Maria
Sorry!

I am on Twitter now!

2009-01-07T13:11:00.001-08:00

Hopefully, this will put me in touch with more and more of the biggest names in webcomics. I just @replied Rene Engstrom of Anders Loves Maria, maybe she will reply back, and be all like, "Who is this dude? He's so cool. If only he lived in Sweden. :D"

I wish I could get over it.

2009-01-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

I really, really do, but I can't help but fill with rage whenever I hear anything pertaining to her seeing someone else. Especially when she said she wanted to just be by herself for the time being.

That's all I have to say about that.

Let's Ring In The New Year

2008-12-31T18:03:00.001-08:00

I dislike regretting things, but I have one for 2008: I wish I had fixed more relationships and things.
I ended up mending one broken bridge, but I have yet to see him or talk to him in person since then, so it may not count. I'll wish him a happy birthday on Friday.

This segues well into my New Year's resolutions:

In 2009 I will fix everything; all of my mistakes that began in 2007, they will all be patched over in 2009. I resolve to stop ruining other people's lives and turn my own around. Things are already at a great start. I will not jinx them by mentioning specifics, but I will, hopefully for the last time, make a plea for patience with me.

There are a specific pair of people for whom I have been a colossal thorn. For 2009, I am setting aside my own needs, wants, and aspirations to ensure that these two people will get exactly what they have been waiting for by the end of the year, and maybe more. This has gone on for approximately 1.4 years too long, but I will end it in 2009.

Another person, for whom I have just been a minor nuisance, will get exactly what is owed, and I am NOT referring exclusively to the events of November 2007. This person has been more than a friend, going above and beyond what anyone could ever possibly ask of someone, and all I have to show in grattitude is the most sincere,heartfelt thank-you I have ever offered someone. Words cannot express how much I appreciate having this person in my life in my time of need, and by the end of 2009, I will deliver a proper thanks, one that will express how immensely grateful I am for their presence and support.

I also resolve not to be an idiot. For a while I thought I had that covered, but I wouldn't be resolving not to now if I had.

My last resolution is to finish all of the games that I have bought in the past and have since taken to sitting on my shelf. The Final Fantasies, the Xenosagas, Disgaea 1+2, Magna Carta...all of them. I have no business buying more RPGS before I finish all of the ones I currently own. I might pick up some PS2 memory cards on clearance later in the year to accomodate all of my final saves...I don't take kindly to the idea of deleting the proof of 40+hour investments/timeburning.

Happy New Year!

Currently listening to Ozma (In my head...8P)

:et

2008-12-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

This post's a roller coaster.

2008-12-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know, two days late. I've been pretty busy. My grandparents whom I have not seen in ages visited. My grandad's in pretty rough shape, but I'm glad he was able to make it out to GA. Tomorrow they're leaving for Louisiana first thing in the morning, so I had to say my goodbyes before I left for work today, as they are staying in a nearby hotel, because I am occupying the guest room at my father's house. Yeah, things have been pretty hectic.

So, as of late I have a real lock on how I will be drawing the strip. As soon as I get home to my comfy condo and drafting table, I will work out how I want to color it, whether digital or watercolor. Or digital watercolor! Either way, it will look good. I will demand it of the paper. As for the website, I have to figure out how to get all the latest-gen browsers to correctly read .css files so I can be absolutely sure my layout looks ok before I drop unknown amounts of cash on webspace. I will commit to posting SOMETHING on January 5, the first Monday of the New Year. That is, if I haven't gotten the control box for my new metal DDR pad by then. Otherwise, all bets are off on how I'm going to be spending my spare time...8D.

On a darker note, I attended a funeral today, for a friend with whom I went to high school. This was the second funeral I had attended, but this was a little more personal. It was held in a Catholic church. Upon entering, I was immediately crushed by the guilt Catholics feel they must impress unto themselves and others. I also got a taste of the endless Christian pageantry not found in most other denominations...excluding Evangelism. That being said, reality set in when I finally saw the casket, and I realized the gravity of what death meant...that a body with whom I had been friends lay in it, and that would be the last time I'd be in his presence again. At that point, I lost it. I privately sobbed in the back row, gathered my wits and dried my eyes and followed the casket and its procession outside, where it departed for final interment. I'm glad I wasn't present for that, I would have been subjected to Taps (He was shot in Afghanistan in service of the United States Army). Let me share a little story about Taps:

I was a Boy Scout growing up, and being the only kid in my troop who was also in band, I was designated the troop Bugler, which, IMO, was the best job to hold. I was responsible for telling everybody to get up with Revielle and salute the flag with...I forget the name, and to go to bed with Taps. For years I played Taps, and all it ever meant to me was that it was time to go to bed. It definitely is a mournful song, and I played it accordingly, but I had never heard it played for a burial.

A year or two back, a close friend of my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. It quickly overtook him, and he died two weeks short of the month his doctor said he had left. That was my first funeral, and I was composed for most of it, until I heard the most somber performance of Taps in what may as well be human history. At that moment, I truly understood Taps' s meaning and significance, and I fell to my knees and cried. I had played and played it well for years and the thought of death never crossed my mind until that one singular place in time, everything was just so clear to me. So from that day on, I hold the feeling I experienced that day in my chest when I play Taps, now annually on September 11th, from the highest point I'm allowed to get to. A year ago, I played it off the top of the SCAD-Atlanta building over the interstate at rush hour, as the sky began to turn a polluted orange. I was suprised to see traffic start slowing as I played. (That bugle gets REALLY loud). I'll never forget the feeling of instant, heavy-handed comprehension.

On that note, I have to get back to doing nothing at my job.

I am so tired...

2008-11-29T01:52:00.000-08:00

So tired, I would rather remain sitting here, at my computer, burning time on the Internet, than to get up, brush my teeth and go to bed.

Truth be told, there are a very limited number of sites I frequent every day, and after I've gotten my fill of them, I am left with nothing to do. Three hours later, I arise from my computer after having gone into some daze that allows me to waste time at superhuman levels. About three hours ago, I sat down to read some comics. One hour later I had read about 50 or so chapters and I wondered, "What next?" Well, it hit me like things that like to hit each other hit things, I would get onto a video streaming site and catch the only bits of 30 Rock I have yet to see (thanks to my Netflix account and lack of cable), the 3rd season.

30 Rock is the best show on tv. Hands down. I don't care if there's an effing Antiques Roadshow marathon on, 30 Rock is the smartest, funniest show I have seen in a long time, since Arrested Development was brutally canceled. I enjoy Scrubs, but both shows have a very different brand of humor, and lately Scrubs has gotten consistently over-the-top, and as a result (I am sad to say) very predictable. 30 Rock make me laugh in the most unexpected ways, and it is refreshing to see a show that does not follow a formula. Sure, the "Lightning-in-a-Bottle" has worked for some (er-HEM*Pixar*), but after some period of time, things of a certain brand fall into predictable patterns. Aforementioned comic was hardly fun to read because despite the odds against which the protagonists are set, they DO conquer their enemies, in the most (supposedly) conclusively awe-inspiring ways. Nobody important will ever die in a modern Disney movie. Actually, I'm pretty sure my previous statement was pretty general and unfactual, but I have neither the patience nor desire to sit through a Disney movie that was made in the past 10 years. I suppose what I'm getting at is that certain brands, certain hooks get tired and passe after a while, and while Scrubs has successfully kept me entertained for seven consecutive seasons, I'm growing a little impatient with the show's finale.

About one year ago, I was under the impression that Scrubs will have its seventh and final season very soon, and the nature of J.D. and Elliot's relationship will be etched into stone and Janitor's name will finally be revealed, and Dr. Cox and Jordan will marry and it will actually work, and Turk's diabetes is cured by Carla's Dominican voodoo and blahblahblah NONE OF THAT HAPPENED. Sure, the blame lies solely with the Writers' Strike, but truth be told, I was tired. I'm tired of the Scrubs ups-and-downs. I revere the series and its writers for being able to make me laugh one second and bring me to tears the next, but after six-and-a-half seasons (the seventh wasn't even 23 episodes!) I want some fucking closure! Now, after renegotiating rights between NBC and ABC, there's going to be a NINTH SEASON?! A SEASON THAT FOCUSES ON THE GROWTH OF THE INTERNS INTRODUCED IN THE EIGHTH SEASON? I came to enjoy and love the original cast, and I expect closure with said cast! Yes, the show's overarcing theme is growth and development, as an adult, as a career, and as a person, and coming full circle is a great way to end something amazing, but honest to your God, I just want the show to be over.
Don't get me wrong, I will still watch it, and I will probably laugh my ass off. But now it will have to compete for my time with 30 Rock.

If I didn't know any better, I would say that I wrote this drunk.

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

2008-11-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

I hate Sundays, for the record. I enjoy my days off, but something's just so sour about Sunday evenings. The only thing for me that updates on Sundays is Horribleville, a comic I recently found. I am trying to wrap my head around MySQL, but to no avail. I have no idea what it is for, how to use it, and why I've installed onto my machine. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with PHP.
Oh well. Back on my head, then.

I am full of burritos and what passes for ground beef these days.

2008-11-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

There's nothing better than late-night Taco Bell. Or early-morning Taco Bell. Or anytime Taco Bell. Tonight was different, though. Tonight, I had some of their ground "beef" for the first time since I realized it was gross, and have since opted for "steak" options. It was purely by mistake. I thought I had bellowed "CHEESY BEAN AND RICE BURRITOS" into the speaker clearly enough for the taco jockey not fuck up my order. We even hashed it out back and forth to make sure we were both perfectly clear on what I wanted.

Supposedly you get what you pay for. I paid $.89 for bad meat. My girlfriend gets free gas tonight.

Aww, I have champaigne all over my t-shirt now...

2008-11-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

SO!

Here I am now. My name is Dean, the name with which I was born, not some internet identity crap. This blog is mostly to catalog my thoughts and serve as a running tab on progress on the projects I intend to run in the coming months. I welcome everyone's support and feedback, anyone that would give me the time of day. This will also serve as a forerunner to my next site that I am in the process of designing. Eventual goals will be to master CSS, learn PHP and build a fully functional site that will house my blog as well as my webcomic that I am also currently putting together.

A little about me:

I have been calling myself a college student for the past two years now, but I have been struggling so much to get things together to be able to even go. I've attended a cumulative freshman year over the past two, because my finances are a little more than prohibitive of keeping me in the most prestigious art school in the country. In my spare time, I burn it reading webcomics, an art form with I've fallen deeply in love, so much so that my girlfriend is moving out (LOL, not really). I have some very long loose ends that are in the process of stringing themselves together into a proper noose by which my neck shall hang...in the next six months or so. Video games are not the best use of my limited time. The "t" key on my blogmachine doesn't work as well as it should. I am 20, male, and have been claimed. I am half Japanese, half doesn't-matter,-I'm-Japanese.

I figure it's time to stop simply believing I'm an artist, and actually produce something worthwhile. I've never had a Deviant Art account, I don't enter any contests, I don't draw anything simply for the enjoyment of it! How do I have any legitimacy as an artist? It's time I stop consuming and start giving back! I'm not going to lie, a profit is the eventual goal of this venture, as I am human, and am subject to needing food every once and again, but I want to put food on my table doing the things I enjoy, not because I jockey a desk every weeknight from 6:00-10:00, although the flight benefits are pretty awesome.

This is an effort to build an internet presence. It seems like the thing to do these days, and anyone can do it. As of (yesterday) today, I resolve to turn things around, and be the content producer/supplier I've always wanted to be! Of course, I can't do it alone. I look to thousands of people just like me who enjoy taking serial nibbles of the Inernet everyday to take a second to look right back at me, if only for a few seconds!

I pledge to make regular updates on progress. A new site will be up later this month, or the beginning of the next, but it will only have a comic and a bit of self promotion.